At the 1998 Mercè, now 25 years ago, it was signed in Barcelona the friendship and cooperation agreement between the cities of Barcelona, Tel Aviv and Gaza. An agreement promoted by Miguel Ángel Moratinos as special representative of the EU for the peace process in the Middle East, accepted by Mayor Pasqual Maragall, who promotes it, and finally signed by Joan Clos.
Point 5 of the agreement was proposed (and is proposed, is still in force) to “promote cooperation projects that contribute to the development and improvement of the living conditions of the inhabitants of Gaza“.
This purpose was obviously linked to the desire to build peace. It was not lost on anyone that one of the conditions for achieving lasting peace was offer the citizens of Gaza a future, a hope, decent living conditions. It also seemed to the mayor of Tel Aviv at that time that this was an essential condition for peace.
To fulfill this purpose, those of us who have been in charge of international cooperation in Barcelona We have promoted a series of projects agreed upon with the Gaza City Council, such as the construction of the Peace Park or the urbanization and improvement of the public space in the East al Nasser neighborhood of that city, among others.
These and other projects have always been accompanied by exchanges between technicians from our two cities. Over the course of 25 years, numerous technicians from the Gaza City Council have been in Barcelona to learn about management experiences in matters as diverse as the environment, waste management, mobility or urban planning. We too have often gone to Gaza to see how different projects are progressing.
Yes ok Since the emergence of Hamas in Gaza, political relations between the two municipalities have stopped, The relationships between technicians have continued, as we have always understood that the most basic municipal services (the provision of water, electricity, garbage collection or phytosanitary control of food in the markets) are part of the minimal human rights.
Over the years and the continued relationship We have known Gaza and its people. Also the hardships they live with. Hardships that are a consequence of a deliberate policy that holds all citizens collectively responsible of what certain organizations do or do not do.
This policy of collective punishment, in addition to being unfair, is stupid. Certainly, no one in Gaza sympathizes with the State of Israel. If what Israel intends is to guarantee itself enemies forever, it cannot do better.
Following this logic of collective punishment and with the argument of the right to defense, Israel has just announced its willingness to destroy the sister city of Gaza. It has been bombing without regard for three days. Its president, supposedly moderate, has justified the attack on civilians by arguing that civilians knew what was going to happen and, therefore, are also responsible.
Israel calls for the entire Gaza City to be evacuated. Let the citizens leave – no one knows where – while they continue to bomb it. What he has announced is coming now, the destruction of an entire city, is a crime against humanity, a true genocide.
The technicians of the Gaza City Council, with whom we are already friends, are constituted – as we would do here – in a crisis cabinet and try – as we would do here – to maintain basic services as much as possible, serve desperate citizens, keep roads open for passage ambulances and basic services. They will not abandon their city or their responsibilities towards their fellow citizens.
Today we exchanged messages. One of them tells us: “I don’t know if we will be able to keep in touch in the next few days, so please tell the next generations about us, if we no longer exist, how beautiful and charming the people of Palestine were and how committed they were to their land and their cause.”
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We know that we cannot prevent what is unfortunately going to happen.
It would be good if all the peace supporters who protested so much about the suspension of relations with Tel Aviv because it weakened Barcelona’s role as a peace-building city, would now raise their voices against the destruction of the sister city of Gaza.